In Lahore, thousands join Aurat March amid debate on slogans

Participants demand protection of women’s rights

LAHORE: Around 3,000 people from different walks of life participated in the Aurat March on Sunday, carrying placards inscribed with demands for women’s rights, protection and freedom of expression.

Fighting a legal battle in the Lahore High Court, the organisers of the march had submitted five-point guidelines and requested Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh to consider them as their undertaking.

The first point of the guidelines was, “Please refrain from using any language or images on your posters and placards that is discriminatory towards any religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender or sexual identity”.

However, some participants displayed controversial slogans on the occasion. A few men and women participating in the march along with their children appeared unclear about the objectives of holding the march on the International Women’s Day.

Some participants seemed adamant over not changing the slogan “Mayrra Jism, Mayri Marzi” while some women termed it controversial, adding that it should be changed as it did not suit the cause of the women who had come out for their rights.

Transgender participants of the march complained that the men and women did not support them when they came out on the roads for their rights. “But we are here for the rights of women,” they said.

Neeli, a transgender participant, said nothing would happen if the slogan “Mayra Jism, Mayri Marzi” was changed. “I think there is a big gap in elaborating or understanding this slogan. The marchers have failed to elaborate the actual meaning of Aurat March or the people who are raising objections have failed to perceive the actual meaning of this slogan.”

Rasheeda Bibi of an organisation, Tameer-e-Nau, said no religion gave rights to women as Islam had given. When asked why she had joined the march, she replied that she had come on the road to demand increase in the salaries of domestic workers and maids as they could not run their homes amid the skyrocketing prices of essential items. She said appropriate measures should be taken to provide job opportunities to women and free education to their children.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Nighat Dad, one of the organisers of Aurat March, said the slogans about men’s weakness were not controversial. She said such terms were often found in wall chalking by Dawa Khanas. Why people do not raise objection about such language written on walls, she asked. She said the things should be taken in a broader sense and the term Mardana Kamzori written on a placard meant that if men are brave they should not be afraid of the Aurat March.

Nighat Saaed Khan, a founder member of the Women Action Forum, carrying a placard inscribed with “Mayra Jism Tumhari Marzi, Ab Khush” said this slogan defined the people’s mindset. “Those who believed in negativity claimed this slogan required some changes while our concept is clear on why we have come out on roads.”

Some participants also carried placards criticising writer Khalilur Rehman Qamar over his recent remarks against the women participants of Aurat March.

Women, men transgender people and those with special needs from different walks of life participated in the march. They demanded protection of women against violence and violation of their rights.

The march started at Press Club and reached in front of Aiwan-e-Iqbal, from where the participants dispersed. The participants delivered fiery speeches against cruelty on women, delay in dispensation of justice to them, a discriminatory system faced by them and for their freedom of expression along with several other issues.

Songs and music were also a part of the event with the recurrent theme that women should not be considered a weak segment of the society.

The authorities had made strict security arrangements to avoid any unpleasant incident. Senior police officers were present on the occasion to supervise the security arrangements.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2020.